WOMEN AND THE PULPIT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 196, 20 August 1934, Page 2

WOMEN AND THE PULPIT

.l ( The next Presbyterian Assembly in ■= New South Wales will have to decide j the issue of women ministers, and the h discussion will centre on Miss DHys ]. Williams, daughter of the Tate Bev. ; T. Jamieson Williams, of Manly, states f a {Sydney paper, r Last May Miss Williams applied to j the Assembly for permission to enter the Theological College to prepare r for the ministry. j The Assembly, realising the true sig- c nificance of the application and iis c probable far-reaching effects,. referred } it to the General Assembly of Aastralia. , I That body, however, declined the c responsibility, and instructed the New t youth Wales Assembly to deal with it. The decision of that House will be | given iu May, when Miss Williams 7 i application will again be presented. g Of increasing importance ts the t question of Avhether women should be t allowed to become ordained ministeis { of religion. . A few years ago the suggestion wa-s = not popular in any church, and eccle- f siastical heads came down heavily f upon it Avhenever it was made. Time has Avrought changes m J everything, and the church has not , escaped. Congregationalism has open- ' J ed its doors for ordained Avomen m J. recent years, and olready two Avomen k —Miss Joan Hore, of Newcastle, and ‘ Mrs. Winifred Kick, of Adelaide—are fully ordained ministers in charge of churches. They are, too, doing excellent work as preachers, administrators and leaders of social service work. c “From the earliest days,’’ Mrs. Kiek said, when interviewed, “barriers have r been raised against Avomen entering g the church as ministers of religion. Women have an important contribution c to make towards religion, and my s strong conviction is that the proper a place for them to make that contribu- s tion is from the pulpit. “Every day women of learning are f entering the various professions. They v are well represented in the medical t profession and iu the legol profession.

And Avhy Tiot? By examinations they have qualified themselves to take their place with men iu the professional field. “In some cases Avomen are better fitted than men for the work of the church. They have more understanding. In the field of social Avelfare, and in the work of reform, they have distinguished themselves, and their achievements in service are worldwide. “Women have shown that they master theology. Surely this, combined with their knowledge of social problems, entitles them to enter the pulpit as ordained ministers. “I do not say that Avomen should occupy every pulpit, but that they should be accepted according to their spiritual qualifications. People go to church for spiritual uplift, and there is no doubt that Avomen are just as capable as men of imparting “spirituality. ” Mrs. Kiek said that after her ordination she had to fight against opposition. People did not want a woman minister. Soon, however, the barrier Avas broken down, and since then she has exchanged pulpits with clergymen of all Protestant denominations. Mrs. Kick is a fine preacher, clear, logical and forceful.